Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Hello Dear Friends! Let me first wish you all a Merry Christmas... even though it was several days ago! And then, let me go ahead now & wish you a very Happy New Year! I'm so sorry for being so awfully quiet; but I'm sure many of you can relate... with the busy holiday & kids home from school, many of you have probably barely had a resting moment yourselves.

I do hope you all had a wonderful Christmas filled with family, friends, and fun. I hope you were blessed beyond measure. May the New Year bring you even more riches & goodness to fill your hearts & homes.

We did have a truly heartfelt holiday ~ full of JOY and snow! It isn't often that we have a White Christmas in Kansas. Although we did travel when the Weather Center said to stay home... we wouldn't have changed a thing about our Christmas (even though the roads were super scary). There is just nothing better than gathering with those we love so dearly.

I am pretty sure that Trinity received about 90% of the toy department from one of the major discount stores somewhere! lol Unbelievably, we were able to fit all his new toys into his room. WOW ~ that was an amazing feet! He has been keeping himself busy changing from one activity to another... but mostly playing with his new Wii. *WARNING* to all parents out there... playing with the Wii can cause you many sore muscles & even throw your back out. (Yup, I know this from experience... and am feeling better today.)

I was able to catch him sitting calmly & quietly...He is watching a TV show about car make-overs... while drawing his own muscle-truck. Hummm... these weren't Christmas presents... he is changing things up on me now. Oh well, I'm sure the Wii will be back in hand before the hour is up.

While trying to keep up with the family, festivities, and body aches this past week... I have been stitching. I'm still working on the piece started 'blindly' last week... and am still working 'blindly'...This will hopefully be one of at least two new releases for market in February.

Well, I'm now hearing, "Mom, I need you." Oh how good it is to feel needed... I better run.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Hello Dear Friends! I am home enjoying a peaceful evening tonight. All the gifts are wrapped and under the tree... patiently waiting to have the pretty papers ripped open with excitement and scattered throughout the room. The recipes have been arranged and groceries stocked. There will be lots of baking and cooking to warm the kitchen the next few days. But tonight... the big boys (Tony and Jamie) have made the hour long trek to Topeka for some rc car racing, Trinity is playing hockey on the old Play Station (not knowing that a Wii hiding under the tree), and I am stitching in comfort on the sofa... relaxing before all the hustle and bustle the next few days will bring.

I thought you might be interested to see how I often stitch. Maybe this is crazy... but it works for me. I find a piece of fabric ~ in this case it is a 30 ct linen that I aged severely with walnut stain ~ and pull together an assortment of threads that I think look nice together. There is an idea in my mind of what I want the finished piece to look like, but I just start stitching. This isn't charted yet, and may not be if I choose... but this is how I work...I start with a border and fill in from there ~ gathering letters and motifs that I feel belong... until it reaches a finish of my approval. It is relaxing for me... and somewhat comforting.

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My Friends... I want to wish you all heartfelt joy and blessings this Christmas and always! May you enjoy the holiday with faith, family, and friends!

Friday, December 18, 2009

Hello Dear Friends! Oh goodness... I can't believe the last post I made was a week ago today for ~*Friday Finishes*~. It has been very busy with all the pre~Christmas fun though. I've been shopping and crafting to finish up some last minute gifts. Plus, we had the school program this past Monday evening. I think this is the first year that I didn't cry seeing the kiddo sing. So this activity on top of the normal has made for a hectic schedule for sure.

But, there is one finish to share! Doris, my good buddy, has punched up ~*Snowy Tony*~ and has her finish listed on Ebay. Doris sells her wares under the seller id wellingtonwoolies. I really think Doris can punch in her sleep! She has one fabulous finish after another ~ nonstop! She has also become a professional at dyeing her own floss. For ~*Snowy Tony*~ she used mostly her own hand dyed floss and added several different types of floss & yarn for an interesting texture. I love how she added the holly to his hat too! Isn't he sweet? Thank you, Doris, for punching & sharing!

I just have to share this picture... seeing the joy & excitement brings on such a wide smile! Trinity was waving for the camera at the school program.

I've been thinking, it seems to be time for me to share a new freebie with you. So... keep an eye out. I'll probably put one up this weekend. Maybe an early Valentine?

Friday, December 11, 2009

Hello Dear Friends! Happy Friday to you! I hope you are staying warm! We have been getting near record breaking low temperatures.... brrrrrr. To celebrate the cold, here are some chilly snow friends...

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Hello Dear Friends! Happy Holidays! We cleaned house over the weekend and put up the Christmas decorations. It is all festive now! Trinity LOVES to put the ornaments on the tree... thinks it is his job only... which is just fine. The spirit he has spreads throughout the home and warms us all...

Our tree is very simple, but loaded with treasured ornaments... heirlooms and handmade. I wouldn't change a thing about it!

Once again, I don't have a 'trash~to~treasure' to share today... I'm thinking those will probably have to wait until next year. Lots of holiday happenings going on ya know. Oh... and we have got to get some presents wrapped to put under that tree too!

Friday, December 4, 2009

Hello Dear Friends! Happy Friday to ya! I hope you have all had the most wonderful week and have managed to stay warm. Olde Man Winter is here for sure... dropped down to 15 last night ~ which is really cold for us. We are staying warm though and oh~so~thankful for that! Tomorrow is the monthly hook~in and the Americus Lighted Christmas Parade. It is sure to be a fun day!

There is only one ~*Friday Finish*~ this week... but it is AWESOME! Joy has stitched up ~*Wicked*~ and added some extra~personalized touches. She and a friend went to see "Wicked" the other day... so Joy stitched this up as a sweet memento. Just DARLING!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Hello Dear Friends! Yup, Santa is on his way! We saw him just the other night!

(blurry... but you can see him)

This past Tuesday evening was the annual Christmas parade in Emporia. Trinity and I went with Grandma, Aunt Linda, and cousin Eric. It was GREAT! We stopped for a pizza dinner before hand ~ YUM~O! Luckily, it wasn't that cold... the cold seems have have waited for today 'cause it is bone~chillin' out now!

What a smile, huh?

Uncle Jimmy & Aunt Robin had their cool~car all decked out too...

It has been a busy week. I've been filling orders... and want to wish you all a warm THANK YOU for the kind words of praise & purchases. You are all so sweet! You truly warm my heart!

Monday, November 30, 2009

Hello Dear Friends! I just couldn't wait any longer! These were suppose to be released tomorrow... but hey!... why not now?!

~*Olde Pewter Letters*~ 65 by 95 stitches

~*Blessed*~ 137 by 109 stitches

Both patterns are now available from me... each is $10 with free shipping... by email, on Ebay, or in my Etsy shoppe... or soon at your local needlework shop.

The frame for ~*Olde Pewter Letters*~ is the vintage frame I shared with you awhile back. I just LOVE it!

Because I've been working on getting the patterns together... and eating too much this past weekend for Thanksgiving... there won't be a trash~to~treasure tomorrow... but keep watchin' there will be another one soon.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Hello Dear Friends! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving... full of family, friends, and fine feasts! Did you eat too much like I did? Did any of you run out for Black Friday shopping today? Trinity and I are going to go out today for a little shopping. It will be a hairy~scary I'm sure... but maybe we can sneak a peek at Santa while out and about! ;)

I have a few fabulous Friday Finishes to share with you. Enjoy...

Instant smiles, as always... ~*Snowy Tony*~ ... punched up & finished by Rebecca... aka goodwool. Rebecca always does fine works! For this one, she punched with Valdani floss & then mounted the finished punch on vintage ticking before framing. I have yet to try Valdani flosses... it is on my wish-list-to-do. Lovely Rebecca!

Now that Thanksgiving has been here and past... we know Christmas is just around the corner. Jennifer has been getting some holiday stitching done for the season. She has stitched up ~*Silent Holy Night*~ and made a darling lil' Christmas pillow. Jennifer used 28 ct Zweigert Amsterdam Blue and both DMC and Crescent Colors threads. Truly lovely!

Thank you ladies... for working with the freebies & sharing! You have both make some precious works!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Hello Dear Friends! This is a (little) Trash-To-Treasure finish... so very simple! I found this stray, wooden salad bowl at the Goodwill store not long ago. It is small ~ only about 6 inches across. I've seen painted wooden bowls of all sizes used in prim decorating & just love them. So, I couldn't pass it up... especially at only 49 cents.

After a quick spray of flat black, then some Christmas red... a little sanding... and finally a shoe polish of brown...

It has become the perfect storage for my sugar~free, fat~free, calorie~free candy canes... that I'm using for dolly & ornie making. (This, of course, couldn't be used for edible food.)

before~

Why only this (little) T2T finish? Well, I've been wrapped up PUNCHING all weekend... and LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT! Here is what I've been working on just over the last few days...

With the exception of the darling lil' snow angel, all are my original ditties. Wanna know more about the darling lil' snow angel? Of course you do! It is adapted from a freebie offered by Robin of Bird In The Hand Primitives... swing on over & grab it! Plus, she has lots more you will wanna get while you are there too! Thank you Robin! I hope to finish punching mine soon & stitch it into a lil' pillow for my sister for her birthday.

Before I go back to my punching for the day... I wanted to let you know TWO new cross stitch patterns will be released on December 1st!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Hello Dear Friends! It is FRIDAY again.... TGIF to ya! It is time for sharing... but before I do, I owe a big apology to Theresa. She shared her ~*Wicked*~ finish with me on November 1st... and because I am the world's worst at organization... I totally missed sharing her finish last week. Theresa, I am so sorry! Please forgive me... I promise to try better next time & be more 'on top of things'.

Here is Theresa's fabulous finish... she stitched over one on a 28ct evenweave fabric that she coffee dyed herself. Sparkling, isn't it? :)

This pattern always makes me smile... ~*Snowy Tony*~ has been hooked by Rhonda. She used the greatest color combination too! Love Love Love it Rhonda!

Now for a ~*Thankful*~ finish... just in time for the Holiday...

Myra used Hand Dyed Fibers 35 count linen (she said "grab bag, no color name") with Hand Dyed Fibers Silk Exemplar Fried Pickles. (Isn't that a cool name? I personally don't like the taste of pickles, but I'm thinkin' I really like the thread color.) :) She finished her stitching into a pillow and used some hand made metal beads from a friend on the tassels. Then she polished it off with the sweet lil' key charm. She also says that the fabric the pillow is sitting on is the same fabric she used for backing. Awesome!

Thank you again for playing and sharing! :)

Here, for me, it has been another struggling week trying to get a finish or two. These aren't finished yet, but are getting closer. One will be on Ebay in the next few days and one is for a friend. I plan to embellish them with buttons, garland, and pipe~cleaner candy canes. They are needlepunched, sawdust stuffed, and have a little needle felting for trim.Hopefully I can finish these today and continue with my ever~growing list of 'wanna makes'!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Hello My Dear Friends! Well, I knew I wouldn’t get a Trash-To-Treasure done on time for today… and I was right. However, I did dig through the pile yesterday and found some inspiration… but lacked the time to get working on it. Hence, ~*No Trash-To-Treausre Tuesday*~.

We have Cub Scouts every Tuesday evening and tonight I’m ‘in charge’ of organizing the project for the boys. That isn’t all that easy of a task… thinking how to keep a bunch of 7 year olds busy for 45 minutes… when it doesn’t involve playing their favorite game ~ TAG! So, instead of painting or crafting… I was trying to come up with a project and get the supplies for it.

One of the requirements the boys have is to make and give a gift. Thanks to the internet, I came across directions to make Chicken Noodle Soup in a Jar. Thinking that next week is Thanksgiving… and you know that means leftover turkey… this would be GREAT! Turkey can be swapped for chicken easily… and wouldn’t it be great for the boys to give a gift to Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Susie... or just to Mom & Dad?

The recipe can be found HERE. Oh, and be sure to look at the others available on the site. There are some super printable labels available too! Actually, it is a great site altogether with TONS of free crafty ideas!

Recently, I subscribed to Taste of Home and received a free Thanksgiving recipe booklet. In the booklet, there is a recipe for making these Pilgrim Hat Cookies. (The photo in the book is much better than mine… I’m very sloppy with the piping… or would that be primitive? lol) I thought the boys would enjoy them so I decided to whip up a batch for the Pack. There is no cooking involved!

So… maybe next week I can get a new Trash-To-Treasure finished to share with ya. Or some new cross stitch? Needlepunch? Rug hooking? Guess I should get away from the computer and get to work, huh?

Maybe I should just get rested up for tonight... so I can keep up with all the wild kiddos!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Hello My Dear Friends! It is Friday once again... that means it is time for ~*Friday Finishes*~... Enjoy! I've enjoyed seeing each & every one! :)

My good buddy, Doris, must have punchneedles for fingers! This woman punches up one marvelous piece after another... non~stop! Doris is also very talented at dyeing her own floss. She dyed the kitty's body for ~*Christmas Kitty*~...

She also dyed the background for this Willie pattern... Doris told me too that she used a wool yarn for Willie and a #6 needle...So SWEET ~ they both are!

Carla has stitched up ~*Thankful*~ just in time for Thanksgiving. Isn't it beautiful? You should really check out Carla's home on her online album too... it is decorated so warmly!

Patti has stitched up another ~*Thankful*~...she stitched one earlier for her Etsy market, but this one she said she is keeping for herself. She stitched both a pinkeep and a FOB this time... STUNNING!

Michelle has a beautiful ~*Thankful*~ finish too! The floss she used it GAST cranberry. How cool is that? Oh, and don't you just LOVE the pilgrims?! She said she found them at BigLots... I've got to swing by there & see if I can find a set.

The final finish for the day is from Henrietta (no blog or online album). She too has stitched up ~*Thankful*~ just in time for Thanksgiving. This is a gift for her sister. She said she has a small square frame that it will be perfect for. Henrietta stitched on 30 count linen with Belle Soie Cinnamon Stick... one over one! WOWSERS! Lovely too!

Thank you again, all of you, for stitching & sharing! Please keep 'em coming too... I just LOVE to see & share!

The week has been hectic here... trying to get ready for the barn sale tomorrow. I'll be happy when it is over so things will get back to normal. There hasn't been hardly any crafting going on because of the sale... but I do have lots of things started.

You may remember this dolly...She was listed on Ebay a couple of weeks ago. She did have a winning bidder... but that bidder turned out to be a 'bad apple'... not paying or contacting me after the auction. So, she is back up for consideration. If you are interested in seeing more of her... CLICK HERE or search seller id primitivebettys.

Also, primitivebettys is now on Facebook too! If you would like to be a fan, you can see a link to click by scrolling down on my blog.

Hello Dear Friends! The last few days have been busy with Cub Scout excitement.

The boys were given a wonderful tour of the Emporia Police station this week. They were shown all around the station, got to hear a dispatch call taken (thankfully not a dangerously bad call), were shown how to find a fingerprint, and were shown how Arco, the canine pooch, could sniff out some drugs. The boys and parents really enjoyed the tour. It was exciting and informative.

There was no school yesterday... to honor Veteran's Day. Our local city of Emporia, Kansas holds a parade to celebrate & thank our brave Veteran's and active military personnel. (In fact, did you know that Emporia is the founding city of Veteran's Day? You can read about it HERE if you are interested in learning more.) The boys were delighted to be a part of the parade. Trinity was tickled that he could help carry the Scout banner...

My heart and soul thanks each and every Veteran and active military personnel!

I've been trying to get some projects completed this week... but have been stressing about a Barn Sale (multi-family garage sale really) we have scheduled for this Saturday. So hopefully come Sunday... I will be stress~free hooking, punching, and stitching the day away!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Hello Dear Friends! My trash~to~treasure pile is growing! We have a few new thrift shops near home and it seems I just can't stay away. Plus, we have been working on sorting through things we have stored around the house for a garage/barn sale planned for next weekend... how does one accumulate so much? As we are sorting, it seems there are items that just call to me wanting to be saved. So, they too have been added to my re~do pile. I took a picture of only SOME of what is waiting to be made over. Piled on the basement floor...

Would you believe my stash or 're~do wanna be's' has doubled since this photo was taken just last week? YIKES!

Well, here is one that is actually finished and sitting on the kitchen counter now...

before...

This tea box was $3.99 at our new Goodwill store. I've been on a tea kick lately and needed a spot to store it. So it just HAD to come home with me.

I gave it a quick rinse of warm water & let dry. Then I removed the TEA label... it was just plastic anyway. Next came a coat of flat black paint followed by a quick coat of a flat red. Then I grabbed the electric sander to give it that olde instant age touch. The shoe polish was next... to stain & wax it. I thought it still needed a label... so, what better way for me to add one than than to stitch one? I grabbed a small scrap of linen and some brown thread... and within minutes it was finished. (oh, okay... several minutes) I stained the label with my walnut mix and dried it in the oven. Then using some plain carpet tacks that I sanded the heads on... attached the label to the lid... and 'voila...

Tea anyone?

after...

You know, if I was organized enough... I could have a Tuesday blog day called 'Trash~To~Treasure Tuesday'. I've got enough pieces to keep that active for many, many, many weeks... hummmmm... I'll have to think about that one.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Hello My Dear Friends! Yesterday was fun FILLED for sure! It was full of hookin' & racin'! What could possibly be more fun?

Bright & early yesterday morning, Robin and I drove to Topeka for Judy Cripps' monthly hook~in. It felt like FOREVER since the last visit there! It is always so great to get together with other hookers, shop for wool, enjoy the ambiance, and tantalize the taste buds with all the awesome food dishes! Judy had fragrant candles lit throughout the house and had all her Fall decor in place. Here are some of the rugs I snapped while we were there...

I didn't take photos of the scrumptious foods, but this will make you drool... Judy's shoppe in the basement...

Judy is now offering penny rug patterns. This is one she is giving a class for next weekend. Isn't he great?

After the hook~in was over, Robin and I said our 'good byes'... she went shopping and I found my boys for some rc car racing...

Watching the races can get intense! This is Tony (on the far right) and Jamie (in the center) watching one of the races ~ apparently studying up on their opponents. Not sure who the other guy is...

Tony and Jamie 'tooled' on their trucks between races...

Trinity didn't have a buggy ready for racing, but not to worry. He found a new friend & they enjoyed their own races...

I didn't get any good shots of the races ~ those cars just move too fast! But to give you some idea of what the track is like... this photo was taken before the racing began. The race track is in an old warehouse in downtown Topeka. They moved in truck loads of dirt/clay mix to 'build' the track. It is probably 2-3 feet thick. They then use dirt movers & packers to get the track exactly they way they want... and water it down to make it tacky. While the races are going on, they have 'turn marshals' at various spots around the track to rescue stranded vehicles ... they sometimes wreck, of course, or get flipped over. The turn marshals set them straight again so the race can continue. There are at least 3 cars/buggies/ or trucks racing at one time. The race lasts 5 minutes on average. They race like this three times for qualifying and then once more for the 'main'. Racing last night started at 6pm and didn't end until shortly after midnight. (Trinity and I left before the end 'cause that was just too late for us.)

I hope your day yesterday and even your day today are GRAND! After a good night's rest... I've been spending the day today cleaning house. Hopefully I can get a little crafting in the evening.